Close Brothers drops brewery arm amid operations overhaul July 15, 2025 Close Brothers is set to sell off its specialist service provider division for the beer industry as the banking group continues to overhaul operations. The FTSE 250 listed group established Close Brewery Rentals Limited (CBRL) in 2007, which provides keg and cask rental, leasing, and management services for breweries and beverage producers. The division offers [...]
Former UBS banker wins top court battle in £80m divorce row July 2, 2025 The high-profile divorce clash between Clive Standish and his wife over £80m of assets linked to a tax planning scheme hits the end of the legal road
Motor finance woes could make Close Brothers the next takeover target June 19, 2025 Close Brothers has fought tooth and nail in the motor finance battle but analysts have warned regulatory pressures may make the lender vulnerable to a takeover as banking juggernauts look to snap up the competition. The bank has had a bruising 12 months with its stock sinking to lows of 185p in November. Shares have [...]
Toyota braced for motor finance pay out as ruling nears June 18, 2025 Toyota has set aside millions in case the Supreme Court rules the company and the wider industry should pay customers compensation when it delivers its verdict on the motor finance saga in the coming weeks. The UK-based financial services arm of the car giant has earmarked the funds to shore itself up in the eventually [...]
S&U shake off motor finance woes as verdict looms June 18, 2025 Specialist lender S&U said it remains confident in the group’s turnaround from motor finance woes after a strong start to the financial year. The bank said in a trading update on Wednesday that optimism in their annual report was “clearly being justified” by the firm’s performance since April. S&U’s profit for the financial year ending [...]
MP to take Thames Water to Supreme Court over restructuring plan June 17, 2025 A Liberal Democrat MP will take a case against Thames Water’s restructuring to the Supreme Court. Charlie Maynard, MP for Witney, was among a group which included the utility’s secondary creditors, who opposed a £3bn emergency loan agreement earlier this year. Thames Water has been battling to stave off special administration over the last year [...]
Aldi denied permission to appeal Thatchers court ruling June 12, 2025 Aldi has been denied permission to appeal against a court ruling that it infringed on the British cider brand Thatchers’ trademark with its cloudy lemon cider product. The Court of Appeal found against the discount supermarket giant in January after the family-owned cider maker launched a legal battle in 2022. Thatchers claimed that the supermarket [...]
Trump tariffs: Legal twist as court rules in favour of trade levies May 30, 2025 President Trump can legally keep his tariffs in place for the moment, a federal appeals court has ruled – just a day after his trade policies were “declared to be invalid” by a US court. The fresh ruling comes just over a day after the lesser known US Court of International Trade found that tariffs [...]
Close Brothers slapped with a downgrade after rocky third-quarter May 26, 2025 Close Brothers was handed a downgrade by Peel Hunt analysts on Friday after its third-quarter update did little to calm investor nerves. The bank said fees and expenses were still at an “elevated level” in the recent quarter as net expenses jumped to £13.9m. This was up from £11.6m in the same period last year. [...]
Motor finance: Is Close Brothers heading for a car crash? May 22, 2025 Costs are mounting, loan books are shrinking, an existential motor finance ruling looms – is Close Brothers heading for disaster? It’s been a bruising 12 months for the lender, with its stock down over 25 per cent. Recent rallies have helped it claw back gains of over 65 per cent in the last six months [...]